Green Your Shopping Quiz

Environmentally minded shopping is more than just an admirable goal. It's a way to decrease your carbon footprint. Find out how you rank as a green shopper.

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Question 1 of 20

Approximately how many plastic shopping bags are thrown away each year in the United States?

10 billion

100 billion

According to the World Watch Institute, a staggering 100 billion plastic bags are tossed out every year.

500 billion

Question 2 of 20

Methane, a greenhouse gas, remains in the atmosphere 9 to 15 years. How many metric tons of methane does livestock farming release worldwide each year?

100 million metric tons (100,231,131 tons)

300 million metric tons (330,693,393 tons)

80 million metric tons (88,184,905 tons)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 80 million metric tons (88,184,905 tons) of methane are released globally each year by livestock including cattle, sheep and goats.

Question 3 of 20

The United States is the largest producer of corn in the world. What is most of it used for?

feeding livestock, poultry and fish

According to the National Corn Growers Association, almost 80 percent of harvested corn goes to feeding domestic and foreign livestock, poultry and fish.

exporting to other countries

making ethanol fuel

Question 4 of 20

On average, how much of what is put into the recycling stream actually gets recycled?

one-half

one-tenth

According to the Council on Clean Air, only one-tenth of recyclable material is actually recycled; most products end up in landfills.

one-quarter

Question 5 of 20

How many tons of food is thrown out each day in the United States?

13,000 tons

27,000 tons (24,494 metric tons)

42,000 tons (38,102 metric tons)

Don't buy more than you can chew! Approximately 42,000 tons (38,102 metric tons) of food are thrown into the garbage stream each year.

Question 6 of 20

It's estimated that by 2013, eco-friendly household cleaners will account for what percentage of the household-cleaner market?

15 percent

25 percent

30 percent

Eco-friendly cleaning products are one of the fastest growing green products. It's estimated that by 2013 they will corner 30 percent of the cleaning product market.

Question 7 of 20

How many plastic bottles are thrown out every hour in the United States?

250,000

25,000

2,500,000

Americans discard 2,500,000 plastic bottles per hour.

Question 8 of 20

Approximately what percentage of municipal solid waste is packaging?

18 percent

31 percent

Food packaging is 31 percent of landfill waste.

50 percent

Question 9 of 20

Although they are often grown thousands of miles away, which fruit has the cleanest carbon footprint?

banana

Bananas are grown in natural light, don't require energy-intensive hothouses and keep well enough to be transported hundreds of miles by boat.

papaya

mango

Question 10 of 20

How many tons of garbage are thrown out each year in the United States?

13,000,000 tons (11,793,402 metric tons)

56,000,000 tons (50,802,345 metric tons)

The Clean Air Council estimates that 56 million tons (50,802,345 metric tons) of garbage goes into U.S. landfills each year, which is an average of 4.39 pounds (2 kilograms) of garbage per person, per day.

32,000,000 tons (29,029,912 metric tons)

Question 11 of 20

Biking to the store is not only good for the environment, it's good for your health. How much more efficient is biking than driving a gas-powered car?

10 times

A bike is 10 times more energy efficient than a passenger car.

3 times

7 times

Question 12 of 20

Which of the listed materials makes the most environmentally friendly bag?

conventional or organic cotton

While conventional or organic cotton is certainly not the cleanest of fabrics when it comes to sustainability, it uses marginally less resources than paper or plastic during production.

paper

plastic

Question 13 of 20

Which is the most effective way to reduce the environmental impact of your shopping?

make your own cleaning products

buy more organic products

buy less meat

Buy less meat. A United Nations report says livestock production contributes 18 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the environment by human activities each year.

Question 14 of 20

What does CSA stand for?

consumer sustainable agriculture

community supported agriculture

CSA stands for community supported agriculture.

chlorophyll saturated agriculture

Question 15 of 20

Growing your own food is a great way to green your shopping list. What type of garden is designed on a grid?

square-foot garden

Square-foot gardens are mapped on a grid in raised beds or boxes.

container garden

window box garden

Question 16 of 20

Critics of marketing products as 'green' refer to this practice by this term.

greenwashing

Greenwashing is the term used to describe the marketing of products as green.

locavorism

conservation

Question 17 of 20

What is the name of the non-profit with one of the strictest processes for receiving their organic seal of approval?

Evergreen

Green Seal

Green Seal was founded in 1989 to provide science-based standards of organic credibility in manufactured products.

Going Green

Question 18 of 20

This food movement is gaining popularity among suburban and urban dwellers.

veganism

vegetarianism

locavorism

Locavorism is the practice of buying food that is grown locally

Question 19 of 20

What is the most environmentally friendly way of handling used plastic containers?

Re-purpose them for another use.

Re-purposing plastic containers keeps them out of the waste stream.

Throw them away.

Recycle them.

Question 20 of 20

What is a food mile?

the distance a particular food travels from where it was grown or raised to where you buy it

A food mile is the distance food travels from where it was grown or raised to where it is purchased.

the distance from your house to the nearest grocery store

the distance in miles from farm to store divided by the square root of calories per pound of food